This invention relates to guide means for snowboards and a method for propelling the snowboard in a desired direction.
Snowboards have gained popularity and acclaim over the years, rising from a recreational sport or hobby to a recognized Olympic sport. As such, innovations from materials used in snowboard construction to bindings have resulted in high performance boards and binding systems adapted for many different types of uses, such as for slalom, freestyle, etc.
One drawback of today""s snowboard is that during non-downhill motion, forward movement is difficult to control. For example, moving to and from the lift, chalet or otherwise getting from one point to another along a flat surface or stretch, is a difficult and labourious process, especially without having the benefit of any previous substantial momentum. Typically, snowboards, generally have a flat or convex bottom surfaces, which tend to slip or slide sideways as their design is intended for manoeuvring down a ski slope rather than for gliding or moving in a controlled straight path along a flat surface. In order to get from a starting point to the lift, the rider has to either completely remove his or her feet from the binding systems and walk, or at least remove one foot or boot from a binding and push the snowboard along with the opposite foot while trying to adjust for the sideways slide or slippage of the board while maintaining his balance.
In the prior art, Pritchard U.S. Pat. No. 6,220,631 discloses a skeg structure in which a snowboard is provided with skegs extending completely through the board and which are in certain embodiments mounted at the rear of the board. The skegs are generally held in a locked position, and are stated to be useful f or tracking and stability over snow surfaces. In the arrangement disclosed, the skeg is manually lowered into snow contact and maintained in the position with a thumb-screw forcing the skeg into continuous contact with the snow.
In contrast to the arrangement of the present invention, this reference does not have a guide in which the user while engaging a harness or binding mechanism, can lower and raise the guide means into and out of operative position, when it is desired to move or glide across a flat surface, as opposed to downhill usage.
The present invention also provides a combination of a binding and guide means which can be mounted to a conventional snowboard where the snowboard is provided with a recess for the guide means. In particular, the provision of a binding and guide means can thus provide existing snowboards with added features, which heretofore were not available in the post-market field whereby existing snowboards could be modified to provide improved characteristics.
The present invention addresses the above problem by providing a means to allow a rider to turn the binding in-line with the snowboard and a second means to facilitate tracking of the board. The tracking means consists of a retractable skate or blade which the rider may push down to a act as a guide fin, blade keel or the like, under the snowboard when pushing or skating,for example when travelling along a flat or going to or from a lift line. According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a retractable guide blade which allows a user to push or skate in a manner similar to that of a technique used for pushing a skateboard and move, or push forward without sliding sideways. By turning at least the front foot, it is less stressful on the knees and provides for a much more ergonomic or natural position while pushing the board with one foot.
In accordance with the present invention and in accordance with one embodiment thereof, there is provided a snowboard having a binding and retractable guide means, said guide means comprising a movable blade movable between a first retracted position within said board and a second extended position exteriorly of a bottom surface of said board, said guide means and said binding means being operatively associated with one another, with said guide means being movable between said first and second positions by said binding.
In the above embodiment, preferably the board includes spaced apart upper and bottom surfaces with a core therebetween, said core having an aperture extending inwardly from said bottom surface and adapted to receive said blade when in a retracted position.
A preferred embodiment of the present invention thus provides a multi-position binding system a retractable blade which aids a user to control the forward movement of a snowboard.
The present invention thus allows the user to have a more ergonomic stance and position during a controlled forward movement through the combination of a multi-position binding system having a retractable guide blade.
In another aspect of the present invention, a preferred form of the retractable guide means is where the guide means comprises a movable blade movable between a first retracted position within the board and a second extended position exteriorly of a bottom surface of the board, where the blade means has an actuation means associated with a binding for raising and lowering the blade between a first and second position.
In another aspect of the present invention, the guide means comprises at least one movable blade movable between a first retracted position within a board and a second extended position exteriorly of a bottom surface of a board.
A preferred form of means for retaining the blade comprises an insert formed into the core of a snowboard, where the insert has a flexible structure adapted to engage opposed sides of the blade, wherein the flexible structure is positioned within the aperture to prevent snow or ice interfering with movement of the blade.
According to another embodiment of the invention, there is provided a binding suitable for use with a snowboard, the combination of binding means and guide means, the guide means comprising a movable blade movable between a first retracted position within a snowboard and a second extended position exteriorly of a bottom surface of a snowboard; the binding means comprising a binding adapted to be secured to a snowboard and to retain a snowboard user""s foot; the binding means being operatively associated with said guide means when assembled to a snowboard to thereby actuate said movable blade to place said blade in said second extended position.
According to the above embodiment, desirably the guide means includes an insert adapted to be positioned in an aperture in a snowboard to receive the blade of the guide means when in a retracted position, the insert comprising a flexible housing adapted to engage opposed sides of the blade when the blade is in a retracted position in a snowboard to prevent snow or ice interfering with the movement of the blade.
Again, according to a preferred form of the above embodiment, the binding includes rotatable means operatively associated with said guide means whereby rotation of said rotatable means of said binding lowers said blade from said first position to said second position.
In a particularly preferred embodiment of the above arrangement, the binding means comprises a rotatable assembly rotatable between first and second positions, the assembly including a swivel plate, guide means for guiding the swivel plate between the first and second positions, means for retaining the rotatable assembly fixedly secured to an upper surface of the snowboard.